Cinchophen

/ˈsɪŋkoʊfɛn/ noun

Definition

a synthetic chemical medicine derived from cinchona that was used to treat arthritis and rheumatism before it was found to be toxic.

Etymology

A compound name combining cinchona with -phen (a chemical suffix), created in early 20th-century pharmaceutical laboratories.

Kelly Says

Cinchophen is a cautionary tale in medicine—it was widely prescribed for arthritis in the 1920s-30s before doctors realized it damaged the liver and kidneys, teaching the medical world valuable lessons about testing drugs thoroughly.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.